When was Maoyi discovered?
Maybe he'd been there from the very beginning.
…
Ding Dong~
[New Wi-Fi signal detected: "Maoyi_Yakushitaro" — signal strength: medium. Connect?]
…
|20:13:45|| "Orochimaru… Jiro… I'm going to kill this bastard!"
|20:13:46|| "Who is that brat? Hiroki Sawada? Intelligence mentioned something strange about him… Wait, could the rumors be true? No, that's impossible! He's the top sensory ninja under Danzo!"
|20:13:57|| "We have to stay calm and observe first. Don't act rashly… Damn it! With Jiro's expression like that, how am I supposed to stay calm?!"
…
[Folder: Assassination and Stealth Techniques]
——[Folder: Combat Ninjutsu]
[File: Shadow Clone Technique.exe]
[File: Basic Physical Training Experience.dat]
[File: Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere (Second only to Danzo!).exe]
[File: Chakra Scalpel.exe]
[File: Chakra Nature Transformation (Wind) – Beginner to Master.zip]
[Calculating time and space required…]
[Total: 5 files | Size: 83.5 MB]
[Copying files from "Maoyi" memory drive to Hiroki Sawada's memory drive: Ninjutsu_Backup_Maoyi]
| File Name | Size | Estimated Time |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------- | ----------------------- |
| Shadow Clone Technique.exe | 8.5 MB | ~8 min 30 sec |
| Basic Physical Training Experience.dat | 2.0 MB | ~2 min |
| Wind Style: Vacuum Sphere.exe | 9.8 MB | ~9 min 45 sec |
| Chakra Scalpel.exe | 13.2 MB | ~13 min 12 sec |
| Chakra Nature Transformation.zip | 50.0 MB | ~50 min |
| **Total** | **83.5 MB** | **~1 hr 23 min 27 sec** |
...…
From the moment that strange Wi-Fi name appeared on Hiroki's device list, he noticed it.
"Maoyi_Yakushitaro."
You could tell right away he wasn't a normal guy. Most people just used their real names for Wi-Fi, and even Orochimaru didn't bother with any flashy titles.
But this guy?He even had a nickname.
Clearly, something wasn't right with him.
Hiroki could've ignored it—but once he checked into it, he discovered something interesting.
——A ninja who had Danzo's permission to "observe" Orochimaru's activities.
That made Hiroki pause.
Was Orochimaru hiding something from Danzo?
…
Still, that was a question for later.
Right now, he needed to finish his test against Maoyi.
…
Step by step, Hiroki's shadow clone dismantled Maoyi's mental defenses. Finally, it deleted all the thought-caches in his head before blasting him with a Vacuum Sphere.
A Root ninja—completely taken down.
If Hiroki had wanted, he could've ended Maoyi's life right there, piercing his brain or heart with surgical precision.
As Maoyi collapsed, Hiroki calmly dispersed the clone and exhaled.
Maoyi wasn't dead yet. He was desperately using medical ninjutsu to patch himself up.
Hiroki ignored him.
He was busy analyzing the battle.
First of all, his "mental coding" method worked beautifully.
As long as the target didn't take him seriously, didn't view him as an enemy, and didn't guard against him, Hiroki could sneak in like a hacker, rewriting bits of their thought cache and leaving them dazed and confused.
That was the cautious version. The truth was, he hadn't yet met anyone with mental "admin privileges" strong enough to resist him.
In theory, even Orochimaru could be killed instantly—if Hiroki could ever connect to his Wi-Fi, that is.
And that was the weakness: the technique depended entirely on the other person's signal. Hiroki could only act once they reached out to him first—too reactive. Worse, if he ran into someone like Orochimaru who could project illusions through Wi-Fi, this method would be useless.
Second, the Shadow Clone Technique fit him perfectly.
While his clone hacked Maoyi's mind, his real body downloaded files. The two processes didn't interfere with each other—his efficiency had doubled.
It was like running a one-man studio… with a few unpaid interns!
And this was just the start. Who knew how far Shadow Clones could take him?
It truly was a bug-level ninjutsu.
Finally, there was Orochimaru himself.
Even now, Hiroki couldn't understand how Orochimaru managed to connect to his Wi-Fi, sense Maoyi without a signal, or keep tabs on everything.
"Clack."
A recorder pen fell to the floor, snapping him out of his thoughts.
He looked up. The researchers in white coats around him stood frozen, eyes wide, mouths open as if under a spell.
The one nearest to him adjusted his glasses with trembling hands. His lips quivered before he managed to whisper a shaky "Uh…"
Another older researcher blinked between Maoyi and Hiroki, rubbing his eyes as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Who… who is this kid?" someone asked Orochimaru in disbelief.
Another muttered, "He just learned it—and already used it in battle? That's insane…"
They all knew: learning ninjutsu at this level normally took months, even for geniuses.
Yet Hiroki had copied and executed it within minutes.
And more shocking—he didn't even have lightning chakra! How had he unleashed Lightning Release: False Darkness?
The curiosity burned so fiercely that one researcher looked like he wanted to dissect Hiroki on the spot just to figure it out.
Their stares were so intense Hiroki instinctively turned away, looking toward Orochimaru, who was watching with an amused smile.
"Teacher Orochimaru," Hiroki asked calmly, "What should we do with this guy?"
Orochimaru's golden, serpent-like eyes flicked toward the half-conscious Maoyi. Disgust flashed across them.
Compared to a promising specimen like Hiroki, his Root colleague was downright dull.
"Leave him for now," Orochimaru said coldly. "I'll deal with him later."
Then his gaze returned to Hiroki, a faint smirk curling his lips.
"Hiroki-kun," he asked softly, "do you know why the Third Hokage assigned me as your and Kushina Uzumaki's teacher? Do you know what he truly wanted me to teach you? And… are you curious who your final teammate is?"